Monday, June 28, 2010

Today you are you!That is truer than true!There is no one alivewho is you-er than you!~ Dr. Seuss (Happy Birthday to You)

I still can't believe my baby boy is ONE! We celebrated with a Dr. Seuss inspired birthday party this past Saturday. Rather than go all out with Dr. Seuss stuff all over the place - because well, that's just not me - I decided to focus on two of the things I like most about Dr. Seuss:1) the fun rhymes, and 2) the bright colors...even more so the turquoise blue and red. Except I added a little aqua blue too, just to mix it up a bit.

First off, the sweet birthday boy. Isn't he cute?Wake Up! For today is your Day of all Days!"To set the festive mood even curbside, I added a fun balloon wreath made from this tutorialto our front door. FYI just in case you decide to make one...I tweaked ours a bit because of the size of the wreath so our finished wreath has over 500 balloons and I used fishing line to anchor the "H" so that I can change it out as needed since the little pumpkin informed me that when it's her birthday she wants this wreath too..."but with a pink G":)

I really wanted to focus on this fun verse in the Dr. Seuss book Happy Birthday to You! so I incorporated it throughout.

When I stumbled upon Kim's work of Modern Bebe Graphic DesignI knew her modern take on Dr. Seuss was exactly what I was looking for in printables to help set the theme. She was WONDERFUL to work with and I highly recommend her.

Here's a peek at the invites she created for Hudson (details obscured for privacy reasons): She also designed the adorable cupcake toppers, party favor tags, banner, and "centerpiece" I used in Hudson's book.

WELCOME!Speaking of book...there were lots of simple details that were "my favorite", but his little sign-in book was probably my most favorite. I added a picture of Hudson and a fun little poem to the inside cover of Dr. Seuss' Happy Birthday to You! and had everyone write a little message to Hudson that he can read when he's older. The fun little poem (click to enlarge): Fun details on the entry table......and just because I'm not too fond of blue flowers, I decided to make my own Seuss approved bouquet of "the best-sniffing flowers that anyone grows": The kids liked my marshmallow pop "flowers" much better!THE TABLE The BIG one! The little one. The fun ones. A TASTY TREAT...OR TWO!
What's a Dr. Seuss party without some traditional food, right? So even amidst all the red/aqua/turquoise, we made some room for...yup, you guessed it! We had hot dogs with all the trimmings because..."For Birthday luncheons, as a rule,We serve hot dogs, rolled on a spool."

These Wocket in My Pocket cupcake cones were a big hit with the little ones...and so cute too! I made them following this tutorial.

CAKE TIME!Then, out of the water! Sing loud while you dry!Sing loud, "I am lucky!" Sing loud, "I am I!" "Today eat whatever you want. Today no one tells you you cawnt or you shawnt. And today, you don't have to be tidy or neat.If you wish, you may eat with both hands and both feet."One thirsty boy! One sleepy boy! But not for long...One mention of toys and you perked right up!CELEBRATING! Notice the cake "sweating" in the above pic? Yup, that's what happens when it's 110° outside, your A/C decides to act up, and you can only get your house cooled down to 80°! Luckily it still tasted A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I have the best baker! Some of the little guys... Pretty little girls...Some of the fam from Daddy's side...Some of the fam from Mama's side!A Present! A-ha!Now what kind shall I give...?Why, the kind you'll rememberAs long as you live!Oilcloth chalk mats made frommy tutorialfor the little ones......and tasty little morsels and wallet photos for the not so little ones! Oh, The Places You'll Go!

One Little Candle, One Little Cake,

One Little Birthday to Celebrate!

We all love you so very much, Hudson! Oh me, Oh my!How nice of you to stop by!

144 comments:

Jessica, everything is just perfect! Love it all! Hudson is TOO CUTE eating his cake - he destroyed it! Love the red and aqua colors, the guest book, the favors - it's all simply adorable. Great job!!!

PS - please tell me you are like me and are already thinking of NEXT year's party only days after this party - haha!!! The funny thing is that my girls are the same way - the other day Lindsey (my 11 year old) said to me, "Mom, we need to start thinking of a theme for Carter's next party" and Emily (6) said, "We should get a posterboard and start brainstorming for it" - it's not until MARCH! hahahaha! I have trained them SO well!

WOW! No detail left undone...I love the colors...the striped buckets and the insides of the treat boxes, their outfits, the bib...its just all fabulous! Love your spin on Seuss and the idea to give wallet size pics...! Your kids will love looking back at all the love you put into thier parties!...Stop by my blog and see Charlotte's American Girl Spa birthday party!

Oh Jessica, that was just adorable! You leave no stone unturned, and your attention to detail is amazing. I love the balloon wreath and can't wait to make one! I just love, love, love your fun, colorful, happy blog. And Hudson is such a cutie pie. Happy ONE!!!

Wow! Where to start? You did an amazing job!!! I especially love the poem inside the guest book. And once again, the cakes are amazing. Love the party favors for big and little ones and all the decorations are just perfect. Those invites and cupcake toppers are fab, just looked at her store and became a fan. The balloon wreath is such a fun surprise too, gorgeous against your red door. I definitely need to make one of those. Happy Birthday Hudson, I hope you enjoyed all the fun details your Mama worked so hard at to make your day perfect and special just for you! ((HUGS))

Heather~ You had me LOL at your girls' comments!! I do like to plan waaaaay in advance...but I'm taking a break after this one...a couple of weeks should do just fine :)

Amanda~ Charlotte's party was so cute!! Love her outfit and all that pink...especially LOVE those fun flowers in the sweets bowl! Did you make those?? So cute!

Brandi~ you're so sweet! Thanks!

Mary Beth~ I CAN'T wait to see MG's party - I LOOOOOVE her invitations - such a cute idea with the numbers!

Kris~ THANK YOU! The wreath was fun to make and easy once you get going! I like that we can use it over again with just some minor tweaks.

Betsy~ Thanks!! Yes, feel free to post and link :)

Angel~ I love that little poem too! You know what I hope they remember is that their mama embraced the way God made her and used the talents He gave her to do little things to make their day special. Because in the end, that's all that matters - big party or intimate family gathering - just showing them our love and how special they are is what it's all about. Thank you for your super sweet comment!

Amy~ Come on! Nothing would make me happier!!!....and I would put you gals to work HE HE HE - just ask my friends that came to the party :) "It takes a village..."

I found your blog through my friend, Kim, from Modern Bebe. Just so you know, when I have a baby I'm totally going to hire you to do the parties!!! I'm impressed by your skills and think you should do parties professionally, if you don't already. Thanks for sharing your wonderful ideas!

A-MAZ-ING, Jessica! Absolutely beautiful. I have been checking back all week to see these much anticipated pictures. You went above and beyond and what a special day you created for you little guy. Everything turned out great, I love the red and turquoise combination. Way to go Mom:)I am planning my son's third birthday party for next month as we speak!

You throw the most amazing kids parties! Your attention to detail is just phenomenal and all the handmade goodies are to die for!Speaking of handmade goodies, is there a tutorial somewhere on your blog for the handmade party hats? I would love to create some of my own for my son's 2nd birthday! Would you share your secret for cute party hats, please?

You REALLY out did yourself with this party...LOVED so many of the details here and the color scheme was perfect. I'm a total Dr. Suess fan myself. The oilcloth chalk mats caught my eye...I'll have to check out your tutorial...And that cake was perfect! Happy Birthday to your sweet, handsome little boy! Would you mind if I shared this either on my blog or FB fan page?

Thanks also for your sweet comment on my "life is like party planning" post...with the crazy amount of party planning you've been involved in i know you totally relate!

Thank you SO MUCH ladies for all your super sweet comments - I read every single one of them and they really do mean so much to me!

Okay, to answer a few questions...

Christine~ I've been meaning to photograph the hat making process for a tute but it seems I make most of the hats late into the night and I don't have another set of hands to help me with the photography. I have a couple of orders coming up so hopefully I can have my hubby or mom snap a few pics along the way!

This party is amazing (as was the Strawberry Shortcake one, which is how I found your blog). I'd love to know where you found the red/white striped tins. They would be perfect for my daughter's Olivia the Pig party.

The cutest ever...think I will send people from my blog here....Great ideas..I so enjoyed seeing what you do....Hope you will stop by. "I have a giveaway on mine" at A Baby Changes Everything and by the end of the day will have one on my main blog.

Have a safe and happy Fourth. Celebrate Americahttp://grammyababychangeseverything.blogspot.comhttp://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/

Jessica, once again you have styled a fabulous party! I love all of the details, especially those hats! Brilliant work! I just featured it on Stylish Children's Parties Blog, I hope you get to check it out. I am always impressed with what you do. So have a beautiful gift!-Kate

WOW! What an AMAZING party! You thought of everything and then some! I am truly in awe of all the details you thought of. I so enjoyed reading your blog post with all of the Suessisms sprinkled throughout. Congrats on an awesome party...Happy B-Day to your little man...and thanks for sharing! I will definitely be following you from now on!

Wow, what an amazing party!!! I have one question, did you make the blue favor boxes and if so do you have a template. They look the perfect size for what I wanted for a shower.thank you so much and I am now a new follower!

Jessica, you are a birthday party planning genius! I can't stop looking back at these parties! What an inspiration these have been for me! Do you remember where you got those red and white (polka dot/striped) hanging fan decorations?

What a great idea!! I am in 'ahhhh' of everything! I have a couple of question if you dont mind me asking...Where in the world did you find Aqua colored ribbon and how did you apply the fabric on the hats? Also, do you use ric rac on the back of the hats were the 'seam' meets? If that makes sense! LOL! Once again everything looks amazing! Great job! Definately need to become some type of party planner!! =)

Okay! So I 'attempted' to make your 'party hats' and overall they turned out pretty good, I dont know what you used to glue on your ric rac and such but I used a hot glue gun and it was super messy!! Thank you for the idea! If you have any helpful hints please share! Once again, your parties (I have looked thru all of them) are AMAZING!

Kelly~ Yay! I'm glad you were able to make some of the hats! I've used several different adhesives in the past, but pretty much anything that works on fabric should work. The glue gun can be tricky, LOL, but it does work great for adding trim!!

I am so in LOVE with your parties! My kids are almost exactly 3 years apart and I'm learning that I didn't start planning far enough in advance. I keep wanting to change my mind when I see fabulous parties like yours! My Hudson's colors are already lending themselves to this Dr. Seuss theme so I ordered the book today! Did you design the poem that you attached to the inside of the book? If you did will you share? I'd love a copy. Will you email me? Thanks! I don't know how I found your blog, but I love it!

Jessica, I came across your blog looking for ideas for my son, Cullen's 2nd Dr. Seuss birthday party and God led me to your site! I have it saved to my favorites and I am a big follower now! Can I pay you to make my Dr. Seuss party hats? I love the hats you had for Hudson's party and wanted some just like that for Cullen's party.

Hi, Eileen,Aww...thank you for your sweet comment! Yes, I'd be glad to make hats for you! When is Cullen's birthday? I sell the hats for $20/each or $18/each when ordering 10+. They are handmade, lined, and include choice of initial or bday number.

Feel free to email me with any questions or details:littlepumpkingrace@hotmail.com

Couldn't remember, LOL! So I just pulled it up on their website. I ordered:Medium Banner, indoor vinyl - $29.99Even though we used it outside I went with the indoor vinyl for the price. Figured it would only be out there for a day anyway!

I did end up having to pay priority shipping ($11.20) to get it on time.

What a Seusstastic Party. I'm amazed with all the cute details, the sign-in book, the hats, the wocket in your pocket cone cakes. I am collecting Dr. Seuss posts on my website if you'd like to link up. I'd love to have a place to feature all Seuss related blog posts for all the creative parties bloggers like you have done. Come take a look and link up on the Seuss Celebrations page to share this party. -Victoria www.obSEUSSed.com

I love your creativity! I am doing my son's 1st birthday in a Dr. Seuss One Fish Two Fish theme and I am loving all your ideas. I would like to use your poem in the Birthday book idea and was wondering how you created it? Like what program? Or if you have a template available so I can write my own poem? I love the colors and design! Thanks!Alexissixela217@yahoo.comhttp://happilyhousehold6.blogspot.com

Wow..what an amazing job you did on this party (I found your blog when searching for ideas). My son (also Hudson!) is turning 1 in March and I'm doing a Dr. Seuss theme, I was wondering how you made the party hats?? I LOVE THEM! If you could email me any info when you have time that'd be great..thanks!

Hi Jessica,Wow! You did such an amazing job on your son's birthday party. I, too, am planning my son's 1st birthday party and doing a Dr. Seuss theme. How did you make the birthday hats. I wanted to make one for my son. Did you ever put up a tutorial? Can you email me some information or links on how you constructed it?? Thanks so much!!Leslie :)

I don't have a tutorial because I sell the hats. Here's the info. on them:http://littlepumpkingrace.blogspot.com/2011/03/party-hats-lulu-co.html

There are several tutorials out there, not for the exact hats I make, but for similar styles. You can google party hat tutorial and get several. Tried to email you but there wasn't an email associated with your profile.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of your decorations. I am going to have a thing 1 thing 2 party for my twins in July and was wondering where you got the templates for the tags, banner, poem and favor boxes. Is that something that you sell? Your parties are amazing.

Jessica, I am so glad I came across your blog. My youngest is turning 1 in a few months and I want to do a Dr. Seuss theme. Seeing what all you did, inspires me. You are very talented!!! I was wondering if you could tell me who made his longalls and his sign in book. Thank you,Ashley

Jessica,Thank you so much for responding. I think with a project like this, the sooner I start on it the better. I thought of one more thing to ask you. Where did you purchase the cupcake boxes? I am assuming you decorated them with the ribbon and tag yourself.

Ashley~I had TONS of the boxes leftover from my wedding five years ago (I goofed and ordered HUNDREDS more than I needed) so I've been slowly using them for different projects. I can't find the vendor information from 5 yrs. ago, but I just did a search and found these which I think are really close (and a great price!):

Hi Jessica, I am loving all of your party ideas. I am planning a Dr. Seuss party for my daughter Brynley in November. I have been unsuccessful at getting a response from the lady on etsy that did your banner and party printables. Is there something I am missing with contacting her because I sent a message through etsy? I am eager to work with her because of your high recommendation!

Hi, Kristen~ I'm sorry I must have missed your comment when you first posted it!! Ooooh, vintage toys + Hudson!!!!! LOVE! I bought my Hudson's bib on clearance at a local boutique and had it monogrammed, but you can find very similar ones on etsy...search "oilcloth bib" :)

Hi, Jennifer~ I only used her once - for this party, so no clue :( But there are some other FABULOUS etsy shops with themed printables! Dr. Seuss is a pretty popular, classic theme so I bet you can find some really cute invites out there!

Hi there! I found your blog via pinterest and am in process of planning a Dr. Seuss birthday party for my son's 1st. Your blog gives me so many great ideas! Question for you, aside from the green eggs and ham -- what did you serve for food? I'm trying to think of things related to Dr Seuss - I've currently got green eggs and ham, oodles of noodles (pasta salad) but need something with substance/adult food.....any ideas are appreciated!

Jessica, truly inspiring! I can't wait for my son's Dr. Seuss birthday in February. I did have one question...Where did you find the paper lanterns? I can only seem to find them in solid colors, nothing super "Seuss-like" like the polka-dot and stripes you displayed. Love them!

I LOVE this idea. Posted some of your pics in Pinterest b/c I hope to copy this theme for my son's first birthday. I'll be sure to blog about it and link to your site when I do! Thanks for the inspiration!

This party was amazing! I'm getting lots of ideas for my little one's 1st birthday party which is approaching fast. I saw, in a few other places, that One Little Candle One Little Cake with info about the child... is there a template for that so i can put in my own information??

Oh my goodness! You are AMAZING! I am planning my twin boys first birthday party and thankfully found your site! I am in love and extremely envious of your creativity. I have a few questions that i am hoping you can help me with! When you did the banner did you do a custom one? If so, where did you get the template? Did you make the tissue fans hanging above the table? If yes, how? Did you get all your poem and sign templates off ETSY? Any tips, or helpful templates you can share would be amazing! Thanks so much. Your babes are lucky to have such a fantastic Mama!

Printables: I sent in the wording for the invite, poem, etc. to this etsy seller and had her create the digital files for me, then printed at home, with the exception of the banner which I printed professionally.

Hi, I just came across your website and I love your ideas! I am having my son's 1st birthday in a Cat in the Hat theme and I would love to use your poem in the Happy Birthday book. I'm wondering if you would have a template available so that I could do something similar for my son? If so, please email me at kristinem29@hotmail.com

This is so adorable! I'm going to be having a Dr. Suess' Birthday Dinner this weekend (His Birthday is March 2nd) with my family, and so I'm definitely going to copy some of your awesome ideas!!! Thanks so much for sharing this fun occasion!!!

I just came upon your adorable Dr. Seuss party for Hudson. All of it is sooo cute! I absolutely love everything! My little Hudson is turning one in a few weeks and I was struggling to find something extra special to do for his party. Then I saw your site and knew that was it! :) I have a few questions though:

Where did you find the ribbon plate you wrote on?

Do you have an editable version of the poem for inside the book?

Did modernbebedesigns do all the printouts/signage (ie: "...thanks for stopping by" on book signing table)?

Are those cute polka dot 1st bday plates still available somewhere?

I appreciate any info/tips you might have. I'm so excited to do my little guy's birthday, thanks to your inspiration! Thanks so much.

Hi Jessica,Thanks for replying. I'm looking for information about The Happy birthday book and poem as well. Do you have a printable version or can you please share info about where to get and print it?Thanks in advance!GiannaGiannacadam@gmail.com

Mother. Daughter. Wife. Sister. Friend. Constantly amazed by God's works in my life. Believer that happiness comes from treasuring the little things in life. Crazy about pancakes, peanut butter, and animal crackers, not together of course! Seeker of one-of-a-kind vintage finds and designs. Always planning a party in my head. An old soul with a passion for creativity.